Sgt. Ansari’s family accepts $100K mortgage donation, visits memorial for first time

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Support is pouring in for a fallen Savannah Police officer and his family.

Just three days after Sgt. Kelvin Ansari was shot and killed in the line of duty, his family visited a growing memorial and received a generous donation.

Tunnel to Towers, an organization that honors the life of fallen FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, has given Ansari’s family $100,000 to pay off their mortgage.

“There is life after death. I’m not talking about the one who died,” said Frank Siller, the CEO and chairman of Tunnel to Towers. “I’m talking about the family left behind. There is life for the family afterward.”

Siller said that although the family is deeply sad, they’re deeply proud of the sergeant’s legacy. That was proven as his wife, Charlotte, and four children visited the memorial at Savannah Police headquarters.

“Time is the best healer in life, but you never get over it,” he added.

It’s something Siller knows first hand. He created Tunnel to Towers after his brother died in the line of duty during 9/11.

On Tuesday, the family added their own blue wreath to Ansari’s memorial and accepted the donation from Tunnel to Towers.

Siller says the family bought a new house together just one year ago. They need the community to help pay the other two-thirds of the mortgage.

“When we lose a hero, there’s a lot of holes that need to be filled. There are emotional holes. There are psychological holes,” said Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter. “But the financial holes that are caused by death is something that…they shouldn’t have to deal with.”